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August 2011 - Approved Cash Launches “Cash for Caring” Initiative

Cleveland, TN (August 10, 2011): Personal finance company Approved Cash has launched a “Cash for Caring” initiative aimed at strengthening local relationships and giving back to its local communities.

“Cash for Caring” commenced this spring with a corporate donation to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life program, followed by support for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s “Walk to Cure Diabetes” event. The “Cash for Caring” program has also supported our nation’s military via foundations for families of the soldiers lost recently in Afghanistan.

Approved Cash has been involved with a variety of charities and causes on a local level, such as breast cancer awareness and toy drives. The new “Cash for Caring” program aims to benefit local communities on a broader scale. According to Chief Operating Officer Joshua Davis, short-term lenders like Approved Cash have deep ties to their local communities, as the success of their business depends on personal relationships. For this reason, Davis says, “We are committed to developing our local relationships and giving back to our community, both on a local and national level. We want our clientele and the public to know that we see people as more than just customers, we think about them as individuals we know and care about on a personal level.

“Payday lenders get a bad rap because of the comparatively high APRs,” Davis continues. “But what’s not understood, besides the fact that an annualized percentage rate really doesn’t apply to a two-week or month-long loan, is that we are often the only place where people can get money for immediate needs. The big banks won’t lend to them because of their credit history, they don’t have credit cards, and their families are tapped out. But they can come to us and get cash on the spot for a car repair or other emergency, usually for less than what they’d pay in late penalties or overdraft charges.”

Headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, Approved Cash operates 195 branch locations throughout Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Once known solely as a provider of payday loans, the company has broadened its portfolio to include title loans, check cashing, tax return preparation, and pre-paid debit cards. The company was founded in 2004. For more information, please visit www.approvedcashadvance.com.

In the study The Case Against New Restrictions on Payday Lending, Todd J. Zywicki of George Mason University's Mercatus Center concludes that "Economic theory and empirical evidence strongly suggest that...paternalistic regulations would make consumers worse off, stifle competition, and do little to protect consumers from concerns of over indebtedness and high-cost lending."

Click here to see highlights of the study. The full study is also available by clicking here.

April 2009 - Bank and Credit Union Officials: APR is not a good measure of short-term credit

A March 19, 2009 hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, addressed legislation requiring banks and credit unions to calculate overdraft protection fees as an annual percentage rate (APR) under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Bank and credit union officials testified that APR was not an accurate measurement of short-term credit.

Click here to read excerpts from the testimonies of bank and credit union officials on the subject of using APR to measure short-term credit.